What are the potential issues with using the mysql_* functions in PHP, and why should they be avoided?
The mysql_* functions in PHP are deprecated and should be avoided due to security vulnerabilities and lack of support. It is recommended to use MySQLi or PDO instead, as they offer better security features and support for prepared statements to prevent SQL injection attacks.
// Connect to MySQL using MySQLi
$mysqli = new mysqli('localhost', 'username', 'password', 'database');
// Check connection
if ($mysqli->connect_error) {
die("Connection failed: " . $mysqli->connect_error);
}